Hamilton (4-1 league, 9-6 overall) has won four straight league games and is tied for first with Hobart College in the league standings. Skidmore (2-3, 8-6) trailed 31-24 at the half and by as many as 17 points in the second half before cutting the deficit to 74-73 in the final minute.
Jones scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. He also handed out four assists. Evans made 5-of-11 three-point attempts and tied a season-high with six made field goals. Giorgi Chavleishvili '08 added 13 points before fouling out. Tim Welchons '06 chipped in 11 points and six assists. Tsakani Ngobeni '07 contributed seven points and a game-high nine rebounds before fouling out.
The Thoroughbreds' Dana Martin '05 led all scorers with 18 points. Martin also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out five assists before fouling out. Steve Yaeger '05 tossed in 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Greg Gallagher '06 scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Fran Murray '05 registered 11 points, seven assists and three steals.
Skidmore shot 53 percent in the second half, including 47 percent from three-point range, to almost pull off the comeback win. The Continentals led 64-47 with 7:48 left when the Thoroughbreds made their run. Skidmore drained six of its ten three-pointers during the final 7:36, including Martin's three with 16 seconds left to make it 74-73. Jones made two free throws with 12 ticks remaining to push the lead back to three points. The Thoroughbreds missed a three with three seconds left that would have tied the game.
Hamilton made 63.6 percent of its shots, including 5-of-9 from long range, in the second half. The Continentals also went 12-for-17 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes. Hamilton will travel to Troy, N.Y., to play Rensselaer in another league game on Friday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m.